Ontario: Highest tuition fees

Ontario undergraduate tuition fees are up 5.4 per cent on average over last year, the highest undergraduate fee hike in the country, according to Statistics Canada.

Mike Stewart, a third-year information technology management student, was surprised at the tuition price this semester when he enrolled in his classes online.

“I was like ‘Wow, that’s really steep.’”

Ontario undergrads continue to have the highest average fees of $6,307, a thousand dollars more than the national average. In comparison, Quebec undergraduate students pay an average of $2,415 – the lowest average fees in the country.

“Students want to know where the extra money is going,” said David Li, a fourth-year biochemistry and human biology student.

Ontario grad students were the hardest hit, paying over 10 per cent more on average in fees this year, the steepest increase across the
country.

Simone Betito, who transferred to Ryerson this year from the University of Ottawa and is taking business management credits at the Chang School this semester, points out that students living downtown are especially vulnerable to tuition fee hikes. “I saw an article today that said Toronto is one of the most expensive cities to live in. So on top of rent, having to pay more tuition – I think it’s terrible.”